English word origin

Etymology of t'

From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

article

Northern England form of the (most characteristic of Yorkshire, but also found in areas of Lancashire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) · Short for the (mostly in speech).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionthatenm
Inherited-form mentionþætang · the, that

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "that"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English that"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "þæt",
        "t": "the, that",
        "pos": "neuter definite article and relative pronoun"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "that",
      "that#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þæt",
      "þæt#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "article",
      "glosses": [
        "Northern England form of the (most characteristic of Yorkshire, but also found in areas of Lancashire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire)",
        "Short for the (mostly in speech)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "alt-of",
        "Yorkshire",
        "abbreviation"
      ],
      "recordId": "058f556deb509be04412842d31b296ad8390202ad82ceb3aa8134a14273f841a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "371b9602b41126e600cf5562f912f1920c86028a6ae0fb4ac4f1a34580767553",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 221212
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prep

Apocopic form of to.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Contraction.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "contraction",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Contraction"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Apocopic form of to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "apocopic"
      ],
      "recordId": "43013d3776921b8239d00d5ba42c58ee7f93b2c14e652ecebd16bf9586e40bfd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "167f002896b46109d57430d5e4a9556cec1b11b32006355db95cebaab1a52915",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 221213
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for t' →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dCc